The Player

by Aliyah Burke

  “This looks like a nice book,” he said giving it back to her.

  “It is. It has illustrations as well.”

  “A picture book. That I can handle.”

  A soft smile turned up her lips, but she didn’t look away from the book. “You’re plenty smart, Kaeden, you just play into the hype of being a dumb jock.”

  “I have a smart girlfriend. I don’t have to be smart.”

  She turned a page. “You were smart before I agreed to step into the role and you’ll be smart when it’s over.”

  Mitchell claimed the seat beside her. “Can we talk, sis?”

  He caught the eye roll this time but didn’t interrupt. They needed to figure this out. Either now or when they got there, because he knew their parents well enough to know that distance between them wouldn’t fly.

  One thing was for sure. The flight home would be interesting, to say the least.

  Chapter Twelve

  “My babies are home!” The squeal filled the baggage claim and Faye slowed allowing her brother and Kaeden to take the front. Her mother had no problem making a scene. And where one mother was—

  “Kaeden! My baby!”

  Yep, there was the other.

  Her temporary boyfriend glanced over his shoulder at her, and she easily read his panicked expression. She wasn’t going to be of any help. A small shake of the head was all she could manage before their families were there. She and Kaeden were swarmed by their mothers.

  “Oh, my stars, we’d hoped for this since you were children. Just think, now you’re together.”

  They were kissed repeatedly and passed between mothers. While her father hugged her, she picked up on something about grandbabies and just smothered her groan. Had she been thinking, this right here, would have been the reason to refuse Kaeden.

  “Welcome home, baby girl.” Her father kissed her cheek.

  “Thanks Daddy.”

  She went from him to find herself before Beauregard Archer. He had been a college player back in the day and still maintained his fit physique. His eyes weren’t as intense as his son’s when he looked at her. She smiled back at him as he pulled her close, kissing her cheek.

  “You know we’re so happy the two of you are together. Your mother’s have been planning this since we moved in next door, and you began following them around.”

  I’m such a heel. How am I going to face them after this?

  “Thank you.”

  He tipped up her chin and held her gaze. “You’ve always been a daughter to me. That boy of mine gets out of line and you let me know. I’ll handle it.”

  Kaeden was there, sliding her back against his hard body. “She’s more than up to the task, Sir.”

  Beauregard sent her a wink then joined her father to collect the rest of the luggage. There were cameras flashing and somewhere off to her left, she could hear questions about weddings. God, she needed to get out of here.

  As they walked to the door, her mom pushed between them. “You’ve had my daughter the entire plane ride. She’s coming home with us, you can ride with the men.”

  And so it begins.

  Kaeden laughed. “Yes ma’am, Ms. Bev. Do you mind if I have small word with her before you separate us?”

  They didn’t give them that much, but at least if they whispered, they wouldn’t be overheard. She didn’t think.

  She and Kaeden stood in the parking structure, their luggage put into the two vehicles there to take them home and the other five people watching them. Kaeden turned her to the side.

  “Eyes on me, Faye. Not them.”

  Not a hard thing to do but, still. She wasn’t a fan of being in everyone’s focus.

  She tipped her head up and met his incredible blue gaze.

  “You good?”

  She almost grinned. “Now you’re concerned? Not at any of the functions I had to go to?”

  He didn’t crack a smile. “Are. You. Good?”

  “I hate we’re lying to them.”

  His jaw clenched and he tipped his head to the left. “They’ll understand.”

  She wasn’t so sure about that.

  He cupped her face, his thumbs skimming her lips. “Trust me, Faye.”

  Those were words she couldn’t allow to slip past her lips, for fear of what would accompany them. “Let’s go.”

  Kaeden gave her that toe curling sexy smile. “Think it’s bad now, just wait until they want to talk about sleeping arrangements.” He waggled his eyebrows. “Wonder if that means I get to do naughty things to you under that sparkly purple unicorn blanket on your bed.”

  She snort-laughed.

  “There you are,” he praised. Dipping his head, he brushed their lips together. “You’ve got this. We’ve got this.”

  Then they were pulled apart once more and she was put in a vehicle without him. Two hour ride home with both their mothers grilling her. At least Kaeden had Mitchell as a buffer. She waved off their attempts to put her in the passenger seat and willingly climbed into the back.

  Ms. Sandy was at the wheel and her mother had already angled herself to face the backseat.

  Yeah, this trip was going to be painful.

  They pulled out behind the men and her mother just watched her until they’d made it through paying for the parking. The moment they were on the interstate she watched the women share a look and her mother cleared her throat.

  “Are you pregnant?”

  Faye’s eyes bugged wide. “Excuse me?”

  A lot of scenarios had skimmed through her mind but never had that particular one gone. These women were coming out swinging.

  Another heavy sigh from her mother. One that was echoed by Ms. Sandy.

  “We didn’t want to ask you in front of Kaeden, in case you’d not told him yet.” Ms. Sandy looked at her in the rearview. “If you are, we just want to know.”

  The ability to find her words was a struggle. She shook her head. Emphatically.

  “I’m not pregnant.” Both women eyed her. “Promise, not even a tiny chance.”

  “Well, at least you’re using protection.” Her mother’s mouth pinched and Faye knew she wasn’t believing her.

  I hope your conversation is just as uncomfortable, Kaeden Archer.

  “Could we maybe turn the conversation to something a little less personal?”

  That earned her a glare.

  Right. Should have known. They’re my mothers, they will ask whatever they fucking want.

  The ride didn’t get any less uncomfortable. And she’d never been so excited to see her childhood home in her life. Even so, she didn’t bolt out of the car. She couldn’t, Faye had gotten distracted by Kaeden stepping out of the back and walking to her door.

  His jeans, sinful. How they cupped his lean hips, molded to muscular thighs. No fucking pansy skinny jeans for this man. She captured her lower lip in her teeth and unbuckled her belt as he reached for the handle.

  “Right, no chance at all.”

  She didn’t respond to his mother’s comment because he’d opened the door and stood right there, next to her. One arm extended to rest on the frame as he ducked his head to look in. Faye stared at the ink peeking out from beneath the sleeve, her belly clenching in raw need.

  “Hey.” He skimmed her then looked to the women in the front. “Mama. Ms. Bev.”

  “We’ll just let ourselves out.”

  His eyes were back on her. “Okay Mama. We’ll be right in.”

  She wanted to tuck her hair behind her ear or some other fidgety thing, just to move. He had so much energy it made her need to be active, do something. Faye settled a hand on his chest, struggling with the need to feel all the cut muscles beneath his shirt.

  “Move.”

  He widened his stance and she narrowed her eyes when she swung her legs around to find herself between his thighs. Kaeden still gripped the top of the vehicle’s frame, his blue eyes latched onto her without any hint of wavering. She struggled to still the butterflies in her belly. The growth
on his face came in darker and she knew personally how it felt rubbing between her legs as he ate her pussy.

  “Stop it, Faye.”

  She swallowed. “Stop what? I’m trying to get out of the car, you’re not letting me.”

  “You keep looking at me like that and this is about to turn into sexual exhibitionism.”

  Her chest rose and fell with her short breaths. “Move.”

  “You’re tempting me too. I have to tell you, Faye. Mama hasn’t seen my bare ass in a long time. Find a way to turn down that desire or she’ll be seeing it again as I fuck you right here in the back of this SUV.”

  Damn it was hard to swallow. She licked her lips and shook her head. “If she’d seen your online postings, there was that drunken skinny dip that made the news. Your pale ass flashed then.”

  “Stop.”

  She held up her hands. “Fine. What is this about? Please don’t tell me our fathers broached the pregnancy bit with you as the mothers did me.”

  His eyes widened so much she nearly laughed at the comical expression.

  “They did what?”

  Guess that answered her question.

  “Oh yes. I got to deal with, are you sure you’re not pregnant and you just haven’t told Kaeden yet, questions.”

  He shook his head then grinned. “I mean, I know my sperm are strong.”

  She held up a finger and he stopped. “Are you wearing a cup?”

  “No, why would I have—”

  He snapped his mouth shut and backed up from her. Faye took advantage and slid off the seat and turned to look at the houses. In the same cul-de-sac, separated by a white picket fence that not surprisingly after so many years of them hopping it, just got a gate put in. A gate that she couldn’t remember ever being closed.

  They stood there, side by side, and looked at both houses. The enormity of the situation she’d agreed to be part of hit her. Smack in the face and she wasn’t sure that the results were going to be something she could handle.

  Their families were best friends. This could tear them apart.

  His mother stuck her head of her childhood home and yelled, not caring that many of the neighbors were outside watching.

  “You two are going to have to curb your need for sexual encounters while you’re here. You’re sleeping in your childhood rooms. Alone.”

  Could the ground please open up and swallow her.

  “Nothing subtle there,” he deadpanned.

  She couldn’t help it. The laughter bubbled up and spilled free. Kaeden stared down at her and his smile melted her heart.

  “Welcome home, Faye.”

  “You are too.”

  He dipped his head as he slid an arm along her back. “Looks like I get to fulfill that purple sparkly bedspread fantasy. You know I’m coming to you, baby.”

  Damn if she wasn’t looking forward to it, no matter the risk.

  αβ

  “I’m glad you’re straightening up your behavior son, but what took you so long to figure this out?”

  He looked at his dad as they sat on the back porch. It was nearing eleven o’clock at night, his mother had turned in, but he was still awake with it being eight for him. Kaeden wanted to head over to the house next door that was dark. But, he wasn’t sneaking away from his old man.

  “I believe my agent called it, my entitled assholish behavior that was going to cost me the thing I wanted most. When she explained to me that if I fucked up this final chance the only on field time I would be getting would be in a minor league and not one in this country.”

  His father grunted and pushed back in his chair, his booted feet settling on the railing with the ease of a man who had done this for many, many years. Kaeden followed suit, except his feet were bare.

  “And this thing with Faye? I know we asked in the car but how did this come around?”

  “That’s easy.” He smiled and took a sip of his beer. “She stormed into my house, uninvited, and proceeded to read me the riot act because I had gone out with Mitchell the previous night and we got into trouble.”

  He hated lying to his parents but promised the secret wouldn’t go further than it had to.

  “After that, I realized that she wasn’t little tagalong Faye Reynolds any longer. And I chased her for a while, she kept turning me down.”

  “Bright girl, that one.”

  “Thanks for the vote of confidence, old man.”

  “She saw what the rest of us did. You showing your ass because you believed your own shit didn’t stink.”

  “Yeah and she called me on it. I realized I had to clean up my act if I was going to not just get the girl, but keep her.”

  A few tics of silence.

  “And you want to? Keep her?”

  “More than anything.”

  The moment he spoke the words, he knew it was the truth, and while he may not be ready to accept that one hundred percent there was no lying to himself about how important Faye had become to him.

  “I knew you’re not as dumb as you’ve been acting.” His chair hit the porch and Beauregard Archer got to his feet. “Have a good night son.”

  “Night Dad.”

  He walked to the door and paused. “Oh, Eric planted thorn bushes beneath his girl’s window. They’ve been there for years and will tear the hide off a cow. You’re probably safer going through Mitchell’s window. I know he had a date tonight and probably won’t be back for a while.”

  He rose and walked to his father’s side. “I’m sorry, are you encouraging me to sneak in the window of my girlfriend’s house?”

  “Considering the heat between you two at the car not to mention, when you were walking through the airport, yes.” He smacked him on the back. “You’re consenting adults and the women just wanted their children home under their own roof. You get married and it’s going to be the same thing.”

  He wasn’t touching the married comment. “Goodnight.” Kaeden put his beer down on the porch railing as he walked down the steps by it. He had a window to scale and a woman to seduce.

  As much as he wanted to get to her side, he walked away from her house first and just walked along the streets he’d grown up riding his bike, running, and more. He and Mitchell had been inseparable. And Faye.

  He smiled as thoughts of her as a little girl rushed back. Tenacious was a word that fit her to a tee. While slower and not as strong as they were, she never gave up. Even when he’d started liking girls, not her of course, she was still there. She’d slowly just become a fixture in his life. One he’d taken for granted at the time. He and Mitchell asked her questions about girls and while he may not have agreed with her at the time, he had listened to her. He had taken her advice.

  And right now, I want to see her.

  He jogged back to their houses and went inside his. In his room, he put on a cutoff tee and a loose pair of shorts then snuck right out the window and onto the branch that carried him over the fence between their homes.

  It was old hat for him to sneak into Mitchell’s room and he paused as he crouched barefoot on the wood floor. Silence in the Reynolds household. He closed his eyes for a second as he remembered where all the squeaky floorboards were.

  Her door still opened without a sound, and he pushed it shut just as carefully. Eyes a bit more used to the dark now, he made out the bed and where she was. Faye had crashed hard, soft snores escaped her.

  Kaeden made his way to her side and went to his knees. He kissed her even as he slid a hand over her mouth, to keep her scream contained. She curved her fingers around his wrist and tugged.

  “What are you doing in here? This is my parents’ house,” she hissed.

  He kissed her again, his body responding as it always did to this woman. “I know. But you and I have a date under this comforter.”

  “Kaeden, my dad will kill you if he catches you in here.”

  “Guess you’d better make sure you don’t get loud. Because I’m about to eat this pussy.” He tossed the comforter over his head
and slid her around on the bed so her legs were soon draped over his shoulders, giving him perfect access to her.

  God, she was without a single shred of clothing and the moment he got close to her core, he could smell her heady scent. Hunger burst through him, and he lapped up the lips as she bucked up into him, her heels digging into his back.

  “Kaeden,” she moaned.

  Capturing her clit in his mouth, he didn’t bother to answer. He was busy and enjoying the intoxicating taste of her on his tongue. Her curses didn’t stop and he figured she’d put the blanket over her head as well.

  Not wasting time with pleasantries, he pushed two fingers inside her, loving how tight she gripped him with her velvet walls. Lapping, sucking, nipping at her clit, he pumped his fingers all the while. Faye sank her hands into his hair and pulled. Hard.

  She fell apart around him. Full hips arcing off the bed, nearly dislodging him from her. He wasn’t going anywhere and he stayed there until she finished. As she trembled beneath him, he freed himself from his shorts then pulled her toward him after taking her legs from his shoulders. She and the comforter came together and their mouths locked as he moved her from the bed to settled upon his lap and cock.

  Her gasp, he ate, as the kiss continued. When she had his full length inside her and they were chest to chest, he gripped her waist and leaned into her. Kaeden allowed the bed behind her to support her as he slowly worked his shaft inside her.

  “Kaeden,” she panted against his mouth.

  “Shh, Faye.”

  “So good,” she whimpered.

  “I know baby. So, fucking good.”

  Kaeden sank one hand into her hair and gripped it tight. He angled her head and deepened the kiss as he rose and fell faster, needing to come inside her.

  He buried his face in the side of her neck and smiled when she used his shoulder, her teeth leaving a mark he knew would still be there come morning. Their small cocoon was full of grunts, moans, and mewls.

  Her muscles rippled around his dick and he knew it wouldn’t be long for her now. He pistoned faster, needing her to find her completion before he would allow himself to fall.